Gu Yooncheol: "The Key Battleground for Semiconductor Leadership Is the Provinces... All-Government Support Mobilized"

Announcement of the "Five Poles, Three Special Growth Engines" Plan Coming Soon

Gu Yooncheol, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance, announced on June 28, one day before Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were scheduled to announce their investments in semiconductor facilities in the Honam region, “The true battleground for maintaining an overwhelming technological lead lies in the provinces, and we will fully support this effort.”

On June 28, Deputy Prime Minister Gu posted on X (formerly Twitter), “We are now in an era of fierce global competition for supremacy in advanced industries – a matter of survival. To secure an overwhelming lead, it is necessary to mobilize all national resources, including talent, resources, and land,” he stated.

He emphasized, “Above all, it is essential to break out of the over-saturated, capital-centric unipolar system and unleash the potential of the provinces. Ultimately, the battleground for technological leadership is the provinces.”

In particular, he noted, “To lead the future global semiconductor ecosystem during this semiconductor supercycle, we must go beyond simply seizing the opportunity; we must build even bigger ships in many locations.”

He added, “We will respect corporate decisions and accelerate the creation of the Yongin semiconductor cluster as much as possible. At the same time, we must make a concerted effort to expand future semiconductor production bases in the provinces, where local production and local consumption of energy are possible.”

Deputy Prime Minister Gu explained that without the government’s active support in areas such as location, electricity, and water, companies would not have been able to make bold, large-scale investment decisions in the provinces, and would inevitably have been forced to look overseas.

He further pledged, “We will fully mobilize an all-of-government support system to ensure that these hard-won provincial investments quickly produce results.”

Deputy Prime Minister Gu also stated, “Securing an overwhelming lead is necessary not only in semiconductors but also in various advanced industries such as physical artificial intelligence (AI), AI data centers, and green energy. We will soon announce the ‘Five Poles, Three Special Growth Engines’ plan to achieve a grand spatial transformation of the nation by maximizing each region’s unique characteristics and capabilities.”

He reaffirmed his commitment, saying, “By working together—businesses, government, and the public—we will make Korea an unrivaled nation in technological leadership.”

Previously, President Lee Jaemyung posted on X six times just the day before, countering criticism from opposition parties regarding the semiconductor investment in Honam.

On this day as well, President Lee stated, “Establishing a semiconductor industry ecosystem in the Honam region is not preferential treatment for a specific area. Debate fiercely over the selection of Honam as a semiconductor site, but if there is a rational basis, please cooperate. Also, refrain from stoking regional division or conflict for political purposes.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.